illustrations Quotes

“The great novelists are philosophical novelists . . . They consider the work of art both as an end and a beginning. It is the outcome of an often unexpressed philosophy, its illustration and its consummation. But it is complete only through the implications of that philosophy.”

Beautiful illustrations telling the story of a dish and a spoon who find themselves in trouble.

Caldecott Medal winner Peggy Rathmann has created a highly original story told in a lilting text and a bold new style with classic black silhouettes against stunning skies of many colors that change and glow as afternoon turns into evening.

“In the distance thunder echoed round the mountains. The air was heavy and humid. I was sweating, but the sweat was turning cold in my forehead. I jumped across the ditch of the last terraced field and looked down to where my home had always been. The house was gone.”

The illustrations are really wonderful - the kids spend a lot of time poring over the details - and the story is perfect for older siblings of any age. I really like the rhyming and cadence of the text - it is a fun story to read aloud!

It was interesting that Peggy Rathmann wrote the book in the second person, as if the reader were part of the tale. And the illustrations are wonderfully creative, with black silhouettes framed by an ever darkening, but very colorful sky. The illustrations are very funny in places, which helps to soften the dangerous situations the babies got into.

Honor doesn’t like going to school and uses her vivid imagination to describe all the reasons she doesn’t like it. At the end of the book Honor is sad because although she doesn’t have to go to school anymore, she still says she’ll miss it.

A neat little book with poetry in it reminding us how much kids can hate school, somedays I can relate. The fun part is the rhyming and showing kids no matter what you are talking about, we can put in into a poem.

Dave McKean’s illustrations are both haunting and hilarious at the same time. The wolves are portrayed as drawings made by a child, as it is implied on the front cover of the book. The wolves are also drawn in both a frightening and humorous way throughout the book.

“Is this fresh fish from Finney’s diner?” “Of course! There’s none fresher or finer!”

Fritz needs Fred and Fred needs Fritz. Fritz feed Fred and Fred feeds Fritz. Fred feeds Fritz with ritzy Fred food. Fritz feeds Fred with ritzy Fritz food. And Fritz, when fed, has often said, “I’m a Fred-fed Fritz. Fred’s a Fritz-fed Fred”

There were some things I liked about this, and some I didn’t. I love that Clarice Bean is a bookworm, addicted to the Ruby Redford series about a young girl who lives a secret double life as an international spy. I liked the creativity in the text layout, meandering about the page as Clarice’s thoughts meander during class.

The illustrations are vibrant and Jamela’s Dress is a lovely story of a young African girl who loves dressing in her mother’s expensive fabrics, she takes it to parade around town but when the fabric is ruined, Jamela has to face the consequences.

“I’m not staying here,” wailed the Duck. ” You never let me help with anything.” And he packed up a wheelbarrow, put on his his hat, and waddled away. “You’ll be back,” stormed the Cat, “after we’ve cleaned up” And the Squirrel shook his spoon in the air. But the Duck didn’t come back. Not for breakfast. Not even for lunch. “I’ll find him”, scoffed the Cat. “He’ll be hiding outside.”

But one morning the Duck woke up early. He tiptoed into the kitchen and smiled at the Squirrel’s special spoon. “Wouldn’t it be fine,” he murmured, “If I could be the Head Cook.” He drew up a stool, hopped on top, and reached... until his beak just touched the tip of the spoon...Down it clattered. Then the Duck trotted back to the bedroom, help up the spoon, and said, “Today it’s my turn to stir the soup.”

Morpurgo here spins a yarn which gently captures the adventurous elements one would expect from a desert-island tale, but the real strength lies in the poignant and subtle observations of friendship, trust and, ultimately, humanity.

Being a children’s book, I thought I would love it for the innocence in the writing and the illustrations. But heck, no (again!) I enjoyed it for what it is. Full of adventure, full of Robinson Crusoe vibes.

“If we could have a baby now, how lovely it would be, said Mrs Bunny, I could shop and cook and sew for three!”

“Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story.” That’s Alexander T. Wolf talking, and he’d like to set the record straight. He says, “I don’t know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it’s all wrong . . . The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar.”

“Now you shall have your wish, she said, a baby will be yours she beat her wings and flew away to. her home among the stars.”

“Max has a secret. An incredible, mysterious, overwhelming secret. When he discovered a cache of old wooden soldiers in his family’s new attic, he thought they were fun and all but nothing particularly special.

“Mr Bunny grew the flowers he weeded, dog and sowed he watered all the flowerbeds and watched the flowers grow.”

“So I went to the the next house, and this guy was the first and second pig’s brother. He must have been the brains of the family, because he had built his house out of bricks.”

“Suddenly one of the mice says: “What a strange noise?” Everyone listens hard. Now they can all hear it. Yes there is a noise coming up through the floor. “There’s something moving under the floor” says Percy.”

″ So Henry showed Amy how to dress funny and roll down hills sideways. Together, they could be serious or silly, right-way-round or upside down. As long as they were together they could do anything! Any child who has ever experienced a moment of self-doubt will be both reassured and delighted by this heartwarming tale of two very different friends and their ability to help one another feel more complete.”

“One morning the mailman brought her a peculiar O-shaped box. Madame Bodot screamed when she opened it. was a snake her son had sent her for her birthday.”

“This English book of nursery rhymes may well be prove to be one of the best loved of existing Mother Goose books....”

“When she’s around little things can turn into great big adventures - especially when they involve getting stuck in a draw full of macaroni. . .”

“While the idea of a woman shrinking to the size of a pepperpot is exciting in itself, I don’t think the story needed the added embellishments of her voicing being powerful enough to force the sun to shine and the clouds to create rain.”

“Trees are very nice. They will up the sky. They go beside the rivers and down the valleys. They live up on the hills.”

“The horse having lost its head does not lessen the children’s enjoyment at all, they spend their days riding their horse down a steep road and avoiding traffic or not as the case may be.”

“Can you keep a secret? I don’t believe you can! You mustn’t laugh, You mustn’t cry, But do the best you can.”

“Capitan Pugwash was very excited. Tomorrow was his birthday, and already the crew were dressing up the ship with all the flags they could lay their hands on.”

“Three children sliding on the ice all on a summer’s day as it fell out, they all fell in, the rest they ran away. Now, had these childredn been at home, or sliding on dry ground, ten thousand pounds to one penny, they had not all been drowned.”

“There. She has shopped.That went well. Now she just has to go back the same way. The bag is rather big to carry. It is also rather heavy. A big, heavy bag -now everyone call really see that she has been shopping. What an incredibly heavy bag! And so big! Why did she have to buy such a heavy bag? Silly Grandma.”

“When they come home, her aunt has to pet her all the time, or else Rosa growls. Dogs aren’t supposed to sit at home and growl all day. So now Rosa is starting daycare! First you go through a door, up a few stairs, and there you’re there. The first few days her aunt is allowed to come because Rosa is shy and wants to run home right away. ”

“Haddock and Tuffy live in another room. Haddock is so happy and bouncy. But he has to be careful because he broke his leg when he was only a few weeks old. Poor Haddock. He has two hedgehogs and an old mitt to play with to help him cheer up. Tuffy is really old and would rather not do anything all day. When Haddock gets to jumpy, Tuffy growls at him to calm down.”

“Charly, Falco and Mysan live in one room. Mysan is shy_mostly with girl dog, even though she’s a girl herself. Charlie and Falco are best friends. They are like two policemen who watch over everyone, so no one gets lost on walks. The other dogs don’t see the point. They want to decide on their own whether they are going to get lost or not.”

“It wasn’t his fault nits loved him. Henry’s head was a gathering place for nits far and wide. They probably held nit parties there and foreign nits visited him in their holidays. Mum dragged the nit comb across Henry’s head. She made a face and groaned. ‘You are crawling with nits, Henry,” said Mum.”

“Please let me be. Please go away. I am not going to get up today.”

“Double rolling down the hill. Double Band-Aids when they spill. Double shirts, double jeans. Belly buttons in between.”

‘Did you forget what you were supposed to buy?’ ‘Sort of.’ ‘That can happen to anyone. But you must not lie anymore,’ says Grandma. No, Molly will never do that again. Grandma asks Molly if she would like to go and get them each a Danish pastry for tea. Yes, she can do that. Now she is on top of things and strong again, and pastries are easy to carry.”

“The alarm can ring. The birds can peep. My bed is warm. My pillow’s deep. Today’s the day I’m going to sleep.”

“The bakery is not far. Pastry, pastry, pastry, you can’t forget pastry! When Molly gets there, she hasn’t forgotten the pastry. But now there’s something else. The coin purse. It’s gone! Molly runs back to Grandma as fast as possible. How could this happen? She cries very quietly.”

‘I don’t care if kids are getting up right now all over town. I’m the kid who ISN’T getting up. I’m staying down.”

“I’ve never been so sleepy since I can’t remember when. You can away my breakfast. Give my egg back to the hen. Nobody’s going to get. me up, no matter what he does.”

“You can tickle my feet. You can shake my bed. You can pure cold water on my head. But you’re wasting your time. So go away. I am NOT going to get up today.”

“Come on, Gideon. We’re going for a walk. Wait a minute, Ernest. We’re almost ready.”

“Double singing where they go_Eee aye eee aye eee aye oh!”

“One day a thin stranger in a bright, pointed hat strolled into town. He told the mayor, ‘If you like, I will get rid of the rats in just a few hours. If you do, you will be rewarded!’ promised the mayor.”

“Double monster. Check underneath! Double dance. Double smile. Double jump. Pillow pile!”

“After breakfast, Sam and Dad, went upstairs to wash their hands. Then from the bathroom window Dad caught sight of a glint of silver and red. ‘Look!! There goes your balloon,’ he said. ‘It must have blown out of the back door!”

“yes,′ said Dad. ‘Then it will fly high, high, high over the snow-decorated mountains where golden eagles nest; high, high over the sparkling blue-green sea where silver fish leap from the waves.”

“high over the hot yellow sand of the desert where scorpions, and spitting spiders, and sidewinder snakes hide fro the heat.′ ‘And sandgrouse will pick at it,’ said Sam, ‘and falcons will fall on it, and hawks will fly after it, and vultures with their big hooky beaks and their sharp talons will tear at it, but the dry desert wind will help it to dodge and weave and nothing will harm it.”

‘Yes,’ said Sam, ‘and it will see Grandad Abdulla sitting in the shade of his mango tree. And down, down, down it will glide, landing in the yard like a seagull settling on the sea.”

“He looked into the water and saw that it was made up of a thousand thousand thousand and one different currents, each one a different colour, weaving in and out of one another like a liquid tapestry of breathtaking complexity;...”

“Each illustrated title in this series tells an exciting tale which is divided into short chapters.”

“Felix floated into Dreamland on clouds of happiness. But when all the world lay fast asleep, someone tapped on Felix’s window. It was the Worrier.”

“The Worrier hopped right in and sat down. ‘I’m worried about that little black spot on your tooth,’ he said. Felix’s clouds of happiness disappeared.”

“But Old Tom loved bath time most of all, when he could splash about and make a mess. He always liked to look his best.. especially when he went out to play.”

“Sometimes Old Tom went for a little walk to the mailbox. But Angela though is best that he stay inside. ‘You mustn’t frighten the neighbors.’ she would say. When babies come to visit... Old Tom loved to play.”

“Winnie can’t find her cat Wilbur in her house, because both her house and Wilbur are black. So she uses magic to turn Wilbur into a variety of colours, each one of which leads to a variety of mishaps and makes Wilbur miserable. In the end, Winnie turns Wilbur back to his original color and changes the color of her house instead. ”

“After sitting on him and tripping over him, Winnie turns Wilbur into a green cat. But then, he goes out into the grass. Winnie is going to need magic to make sure she can always see Wilbur.”

The Death Book provides a forum for children to ask questions about death: Do ghosts exist? What’s a funeral? Where do the dead go? What does God look like? Using visual jokes and informal language, the author provides a wide range of unsentimental, disarming ways of talking about death.

“Sometimes you start thinking about death... and you might think death is a big mystery. It is hard to understand what death is... not only when you’re little, but when you’re big, too....”

“When it was fine he spent the day on the beach playing in and out of the boats, or talking to his friend the old boatman, who taught him how to make the special knots that sailors make and many other things about the sea and ships.”

“It was a lovely day. The sea was blue, and the little waves danced and sparkled in the sunshine. Tim got more and more excited as they neared the steamer, as he had never been in one before.”

″... past the mill.. ...through the fence...”

A charming book that might be characterized as “a silent film between book covers”. Follow the fortunes of Clown -- who starts in a garbage can and ends up in a happy family.

“After the ducklings are born, Mr. Mallard decides to take a trip up the river to see what the rest of it is like. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard agree to meet at the Public Garden in one week.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were bursting with pride. It was a great responsibility taking care of so many ducklings, and it kept them very busy. She taught them how to swim and dive.”

“Against the strains of a catchy barnyard tune, a single-minded fox stalks an unsuspecting hen.”

″... around the pond...over the haystack..”

“This is a story about a magical seed that turns into a giant tree and more than that it’s a tale about nature, the seasons, magic and it made my mind ponder ...”

“Lyric, prose and magnificent oil painting combine to celebrate the pageant of the seasons.”

″ ... go back on time for dinner.”

“After a while they came to a mighty snow castle, guarded by two polar bears, who sniffed familiarly at Uncle Hoarfrost as he and Olle went past them and in through the gateway.”

“Under the ground, deep in the earth among the roots of the trees, the little root children were fast asleep all winter long...”

“The children living underground in the dark and having to make their own clothing. They’re overseen by the elderly Mother Earth.”

“Three trees on a mountain dream of what they wanted to become when they grew up. One wants to be a treasure chest, another an ocean-going boat, and the third a ...”

“God loves us, has a plan for us, and is in control; therefore we can trust Him.”

“Little Brown Bear cries and rub his eye. He gets out of bed, but he is not happy. He can’t find his slippers.”

“A snowman stood in a garden in front of a house. There was nothing special about him. He was just an ordinary snowman.”

“Mama Bear knows what Little Brown Bear needs. She gives him a big hug. A hug makes everything better.”

“Liza ran into the garden, gave the snowman a drink of tea, then hurried back inside the house. The snowman was very surprised. In his tummy there was a warm, creeping, crawling feeling...”

Handa put seven delicious fruits in a basket for her friend, Akeyo.

Shane is a runaway. A homeless boy living on the streets. One night he finds a kitten and is determined to make it his own and take it home. But will he and Cat be able to make their way safely through the night?

“She will be surprised, thought Handa as she set for Akeyo’s village.”

“A young boy learns that it can be a harmful thing to care too much about the one plant in his bleak yard.”

“Dorami is Doraemon’s younger sister, and Dekisugi is a gifted student boy who as Shizuka’s close friend, frequently attracts the jealousy of Nobita.”

“So they hung themselves on the line a second time. First Pup put Puss up, and as soon as she was hanging up she jumped down nd put up Pup. So they both hung on the line, just like washing, and were very please at the was the sun shone and made such a drying day.”

“Sheltered under the pine-tree branches, they hardly felt the autumn gales and if it rained, the children crept underneath a giant toadstool to keep dry.”

“All the children wore red-and-white spotted caps. If strangers came into the forest, they curled up, still as stone, for all the world like four red-and-white spotted mushrooms.”

“When an eel ate all the fish in the village fishpond, the villagers took great pains to capture it and when they eventually did, they threw it back in to the water to drown it.” ”

“Of course Brer Fox wanted to hurt Brer Rabbit as much as he could, so he caught by the hind-legs and slug him right in the middle of the brier-patch. There was a considerable flutter where Brer Rabbit struck the bushes, and Brer Fox hung around so as to see what would happen.”

“It almost makes me cry to tell what foolish Harriet befell. Mamma and Nurse went out one day and left her all alone at play; Now, on the table close at hand, a box of matches chanc’d to stand..”

The accompanying illustrations, they are bright, descriptive and totally capture not only Linnea’s joy and and delightfully bubbly personality, they also present a glowing visual homage to France and to Monet’s garden in Giverny.

“I want to help,′ says Dusty. ‘Not with the eggs,’ says Grandpa. ‘Not with the eggs,’ says Dusty. Grandpa hurries to add the flour, milk, and new eggs - without the shells. ‘Please, don’t touch anything,’ says Grandpa.”

“Please, don’t touch anything,′ says Grandpa. ‘Don’t touch,’ says Dusty, as he presses a switch in the mixer. The beater and the bowl begin whirling around. Flour flies all over. Grandpa shouts, ‘No, no, NO!”

“Whatever can that be?′ said Little Spook. Very slowly Little Spook pushed open the door and they peeped round. But inside the room there were only Mother and Father spook”

“I want to help,′ says Dusty, swishing his hands in the egg mixture. ‘No, no, NO,’ says Grandpa. His voice is getting louder. He wipes Dusty’s hands and lifts him down to the floor.”

“Little Spook was a friendly ghost. He lived in Morning Sun Castle and his best friend was the little Prince. They played together all day long.”

“Father Spook was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed and cotton wool on his ears, ‘Perhaps Daddy has carache,’ Little Spook` whispered to his friend. Then Mother Spook saw them. She gave each boy a big hug. ‘Come over here,’ she said. ‘I have something to show you.”

“It was the Oldest Fairy, scowling over her cane at the suddenly quiet assemblage. She was so old that no one there had ever seen her, because for half a century she had lived hight up in a tower, away from the world, forgotten.”

A fantasy book of British folk type rhymes written by a modern poet. The book’s strength is Trina Schart Hyman illustrations. one poem about a girl obsessed with the ocean is rather good, and “Figgie Bobbin is amusing; the Zig Zag the same.

“But when he came to the bridge by the Royal Palace, he found that it was guarded day and night.”

“i’ve got to get out of here!′ Little Fish said. ‘I’m tired of swimming in the same water. I want a bigger pond.’ Big Cat, strolling by, heard him.”

“Then the busy hands fitted the legs to the torso, then they fitted the arms, each fitting the other, and the torso stood up with legs and arms but not head. It walked about the beach, holding its eyes up in its hands, searching for its lost head.”

“Barbapapa had to go to the zoo. He was unhappy he had to live in a cage. Barbapapa found the could change his shape and so he escaped.”

Barbapapa wandered into the city but the cars frightened him. There was nowhere he could go.”

“Barbapapa came to the rescue. The firemen were grateful for his help. While they were having a party after the fire, Barbapapa heard cries for help.”

‘You mean the duck’s right in there?’ said the General. ‘Yes, sir, ’ said the Gunner. ‘I put my hand in but I couldn’t reach it.’ The General looked down the gun and saw two small eyes looking back at him.”

‘There is something you can do, sir,’ said one of the men. ‘You can fire it with the duck inside.’ ‘No, no, no,’ said the General. ‘We’ll think of something else. I know, we’ll borrow a gun.”

“The General grew red in the face. ‘Why can’t you load it?’ he shouted. ‘Please, sir,’ said the Gunner. ‘There’s a duck in the gun.’ ‘A duck? In our gun?’ The General jumped up from his chair.”

“The Iron Man tells the story of a gigantic metal robot who appears out of nowhere, crashing onto the beach and shattering into many parts.”

“Grace gave me.... He is big and furry. I like cuddling him!”

“Joey gave me some..... they are all different colors. I like building with them!”

“The little lamb grew and grew. Soon he was a big wooly lamb. His woolly white coat grew longer and longer. Pelle also grew and grew.”

“One day Pelle said to his father and his mother, ‘My lamb has a long woolly coat. But my suit is short and tight. It is too small for me.’ ‘Yes, it is,’ said his mother.”

“You should put your money in your pocket!′ his mother cried. ‘Now we have no money again.’ On Tuesday Jack said to himself, ‘Today I must put my pay in my pocket.”

“The Duchess of Whimsy spins a tender tale of two royals who discover each other over a grilled cheese sandwich, and defy expectations by proving that people are often more than they seem. ”

“But the one thing she can not stand is boring normal. Or so everyone thought...”

“Lionel ate one of the cookies. He decided to share the rest with his class... and teaching them an English son about cookies.”

“He leans back in the water. It makes big waves.”

“The trouble is I don’t know where I’d like to be more. I mean - I like the films - but that’s miles away. I’d be so annoyed when I got there I wouldn’t like it all. And I’d get even more angry coming back so I’d hate it even more here - when I did get back.”

“I’ve had this shirt that’s covered in dirt for years and years and years. It used to be red but I wore it in bed and it went grey cos I wore it all day for years and years and years.”

“Little Brown Bear holds on the sides of the tub.”

“The arms fell off in the Monday wash and you can see my vest through the holes in the chest for years and years and years.”

“Umbrella, umbrella, the world’s most happy, go-lucky flower. Shutting, opening, walking, running. Umbrella, umbrella, the world’s biggest flower, perfectly covering Mommy, perfectly covering Daddy.”

“He heard about the time Tashi met a little woman as small as a cricket, and she told him the future.”

“And the pig answered, ‘Not by the hear of my chinny-chin-chin.’ The wolf said, ‘Then I’huff and I’pull blow your house in!”

“Along came a wolf who knocked at the door and said, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in>”

“And the pig answered, ‘Not by the hair of chinny-chin-chin.’ the wolf said, ‘Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!”

“Three pigs... Straw, sticks, bricks... Huffs and puffs... You probably know the rest. It’s an old story, and every time someone tells it the same thing happens.”

“However, Lotta’s neighbor Mrs. Berg keeps a bicycle in her shed, and she takes long afternoon naps. ”